The soaring demand for network data throughout the globe has steadily fueled the evolution and ubiquity of high-speed communications devices, such as routers, switches, modems, and high-speed mobile devices. A vast variety of high-speed communications devices have been engineered and manufactured to meet the numerous infrastructure, end-user, and data demands that currently abound. As a result, there is a wide variety of high-speed communications devices implemented in every network setting and route within a data communication path. Not surprisingly, interoperability, scalability, and upgradeability of devices in a network often pose a significant challenge, as there is currently no one-size-fits-all type of solution.
Much of the provisioning and consumption of data in a network is supported by various data transfer media, such as cables, cable adaptors, and connection interfaces. Such data transfer media are widely diverse and commonly subject to change due to upgrade and infrastructure requirements, as well as device specifications and even user preferences. Despite the diversity of these components, current solutions are rigid, often limiting support and compatibility to one specific type of component or form factor, and lack flexible mechanical support solutions for upgradeability of cables, connections, and other data transfer components. For example, currently, alternative attachments or connections require different adaptors to support the specific types of connections implemented, as current adaptors fail to offer adequate cross-component support and interoperability.
Yet data transfer media, such as cables, drive and enable the current wide-spread thirst for network data by interconnecting high-speed communications devices and carrying the data signals needed for high-speed communications. Unfortunately, these data transfer media are also frequently exposed to internal and external forces or pressures which often result in signal loss or degradation, by damaging cables and the mechanical relationship of the cables with other connection components. In fact, the vast majority of mechanical failures of such data transfer media are associated with broken or damaged components, such as wires, resulting from the various internal and external forces or pressures. Current solutions, such as cable boots for strain relief, provide some support and protection to data transfer media, but are largely inadequate and insufficient. These are problems that have plagued the industry throughout the history of data networks and high-speed communication devices.